The website of American Trucking Associations had an interesting blog post last month concerning electric mandates for the Trucking industry. It is focused on the testimony of Andrew Boyle, ATA first vice chair and co-president of Massachusetts-based Boyle Transportation before a Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on the future of clean vehicles.

A cut from his opening remarks:

Boyle’s testimony demonstrated the disconnects between mandates and the real-world.

From the article.

After one trucking company tried to electrify just 30 trucks at a terminal in Joliet, Illinois, local officials shut those plans down, saying they would draw more electricity than is needed to power the entire city.

A California company tried to electrify 12 forklifts. Not trucks, but forklifts. Local power utilities told them that’s not possible.

Costs, sourcing and reliability are being ignored

Aside from the likely inflation these costs will impose will be issues caused by weight.

It’s not that we can’t overcome challenges, but we don’t overcome them by pretending they don’t exist

California standards will unleash supply chain disruptions nationally.

The order of implementation is important

Bottom line: The trucking industry starts with ‘yes.’ We are committed to protecting the environment and shrinking our footprint, and we have proven that. All we ask for is honesty and transparency about the road ahead. While we share the passion for EVs in cars and light-duty vehicles, projecting an automotive construct onto trucking industry dynamics is a massive mistake. 

Success will depend on national standards with achievable targets and realistic timelines that enable innovation to flourish.

For the complete original article click here.